When it comes to the best romance books of September 2025, we’ve truly got an embarrassment of riches on our hands! The month’s new reads are packed with lovable characters, fun (and occasionally spooky) premises, and just the right level of cozy vibes for the month that brings us towards autumn. From Nikki Payne to Alison Cochrun, from Alexandra Vasti to Diana Quincy, Jen DeLuca, and many more, plenty of beloved authors (and a few newbies) are releasing new books this month. And honestly, it’s what we deserve.
Get ready for those fall feelings! Here are all our picks for the best romance books of September 2025.
Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun
Release date: Sept. 2
Read it if: You’d like a journey of self-discovery along with the best romance books of September 2025. A newly-out woman finds herself (and maybe love) on a European tour.
Publisher’s synopsis: Thirty-five-year-old Seattleite Sadie Wells needs an escape. She’s desperate to escape her monotonous routines, the family business that has consumed her entire life, and the unexpected gay panic that has her questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. So when her injured sister offers Sadie her place on a tour along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago, she decides this is the perfect chance to get away from it all.
After three glasses of wine on the plane and some turbulence convince Sadie she won’t even survive the flight, she confesses all her secrets to her seatmate, Mal. The problem: the plane doesn’t crash, and it turns out Mal is on her Camino tour. Worst of all, Sadie learns that she is on a tour specifically for queer women, and that her two-hundred-mile trek will be a journey of self-discovery, whether she wants it to be or not.
Fascinated by the woman who drunkenly came out to her on the plane, Mal offers to help Sadie relive the queer adolescence she missed out on as they walk the Camino. As Sadie develops her newfound confidence, Mal grapples with a complicated loss and unexpected inheritance. But as their relationship blurs the lines between reality and practice, they both must decide if they will forever part at the end of the tour or chart a new course together.
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Season of the Witch by Sophie H. Morgan
Release date: Sept. 2
Read it if: You’re a fan of tropey second-chance romance and amnesia plots. A witch must fake-date the ex who broke her heart… while a mistaken spell steals his memories.
Publisher’s synopsis: Tia Hightower isn’t sure how she went from being a powerful witch to fake dating her ex at a winter house party.
For eight years, she has refused to speak Henry Pearlmatter’s name unless it has been to curse it. Now, with their family businesses merged, she and her insufferable ex must pretend to be together to secure a wealthy warlock’s investment. Sharing a room—and a bed—with Henry is bad enough. Even worse is that Tia might have had a small potion mishap…and accidentally erased Henry’s memories of her.
Henry might not remember his ex, but it’s clear there’s still something between them. Whatever went wrong in the past, he intends to figure it out. Faking feelings for Tia isn’t exactly difficult, but one thing’s for certain: starlight carnivals and mulled-wine kisses can’t change history.
With the threat of Henry’s memories hovering over every stolen moment, their time together is running out. But a little bit of Christmas magic and the snow-melting heat between them have Tia wondering if it’s time to risk her heart once more, even if it’s with the warlock who once broke it…
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Witch You Would by Lia Amador
Release date: Sept. 2
Read it if: You feel like reality TV could use some spicing up in the best romance books of September 2025. A broke salesgirl and magical influencer must work together to win a spellcasting reality show.
Publisher’s synopsis: Penelope Delmar, a broke salesgirl, has been chosen to compete on Cast Judgment, a spellcasting reality show. The winner gets a big cash prize, and for extra hype, this season is the Spellebrity Edition: every contestant will be paired with a celebrity teammate. Unfortunately, her partner, Leandro Presto, is best known for his goofy viral spell videos, not his skills.
Gil Contreras, alias Leandro Presto, has been crushing on his pen pal Penelope for months. Now they’re working together to win a contest that could save his grandfather’s charity—except he has to stay in character the whole time, so his dream girl thinks he’s a total loser.
Can they beat snobby rivals, fix spells gone wrong, and survive increasingly dangerous sabotage attempts to win the grand prize—and each other’s hearts? Or will Gil’s secret make both their magic and romance fizzle out?
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It Had to Be Him by Adlib Khorram
Release date: Sept. 2
Read it if: You’ve ever felt like you’re too “boring” as you get older. Two ex-classmates reconnect in Italy when they’re both experiencing ruts in their lives.
Publisher’s synopsis: Ramin Yazdani’s marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.
Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he’s become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who’s aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.
Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah’s not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love by Ann Rose
Release date: Sept. 9
Read it if: You’d think a cursed Spirit Halloween is a great setting for the best romance books of September 2025. Cursed to vanish after every Halloween, a magical storekeeper tries to break the spell to be with the woman she’s falling for.
Publisher’s synopsis: Each year, when no one is paying attention, The Dead of Night Halloween store appears in a new location with its giant sign and great low prices. No one sees them setting up or tearing down—one day it’s just there and then, two days after Halloween, it’s gone.
Pepper White knows exactly how this works. For five years, ever since the last Keeper of the Store tricked her, she has been cursed—appearing when the store does, and disappearing when it goes away. People will remember The Dead of Night, but they’ll completely forget Pepper. That is, until Christina Loring walks in the door. Their chemistry is instantaneous and, for the first time in five years, Pepper finds herself wishing for more time.
But how do you tell the girl you’re falling for that you’re cursed and that you only have ten weeks together before Christina forgets . . . everything? To have a chance at happily ever after, Pepper has to do the one thing she swore she wouldn’t—find the right treat to trick someone else into taking on the curse. But all’s fair in love and spells, and this spooky season, Pepper and Christina are ready to stir up trouble in the name of love.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca
Release date: Sept. 9
Read it if: You’re a fan of a good rivals-to-lovers spark (with a lightly paranormal twist). The proprietors of rival ghost tours in a haunted town realize they have more in common than their businesses.
Publisher’s synopsis: Boneyard Key, Florida, is the only home Sophie has ever known. Her love for its supernatural history has flourished into a career, as she guides the one and only ghost tour through the town’s can’t-miss haunted spots. And while her bank account isn’t full by any means, her heart is. Or at least, it was.
But there’s a newcomer in town. The son of a Fortune 500 businessman, former theater kid Tristan has grown his tours from a fraternity fundraiser to a multicity ghost tour conglomerate. It’s doing well, but not well enough—if he can’t prove that he’s solidly in the black by the fall, Dad’s going to pull his funding, spelling the end of his career. Boneyard Key, with its haunted reputation, seems like the perfect place to boost his bottom line.
When the two ghost tours clash, Sophie’s expletive-filled rant goes viral, and the rivals strike up a deal. Whoever has the most successful business by summer’s end stays, while the loser must ghost. But the more Tristan comes to appreciate Boneyard Key, the more Sophie comes to appreciate Tristan, and what starts as begrudging respect becomes something spicier. Can they put their feuding businesses aside to make room for a chance at love, or is Boneyard Key too small for two ghost tours?
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Is This Real or Just Pretend by Emily Sullivan
Release date: Sept. 9
Read it if: You’d like fake dating with a historical setting in the best romance books of September 2025. An unlikely duo fake a courtship to secure their respective business dealings.
Publisher’s synopsis: Alexandra Atkinson prides herself on being in control. It’s why she’s such an asset to her father’s investment firm—along with her utter lack of a social life and her talent for spotting successful ventures for investors. But with her father nearing retirement and the board unwilling to have a female head, Alex could lose everything . . .
After his business partner burned him, Lucien Taylor is determined to start over. But he doesn’t know how until his childhood friend’s sister, Alexandra Atkinson, comes to him with a most unusual proposal: She’ll help Lucien find the funding he needs if he pretends to court her long enough to secure her claim to her father’s company.
But Alex and Lucien soon realize they didn’t quite account for all the details in their arrangement—like how they can undo each other with just a look. And the more time they spend together, the more the intensity shimmering between them can’t be controlled. Not even by Alex. And if they give in? Well, she’s not sure which of them will be in more trouble . . . but she’s willing to find out.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You like your fantasy worlds cozy, charming, and romantic. A meticulous witch and her headstrong trainee are surprised when their cabin’s owner returns, less than thrilled with their presence.
Publisher’s synopsis: Andromeda “Annie” Wildwood is the perfect witch. She is sugar, spice, and everything nice, each element of her life finely curated and polished to irresistibility by her nightly hex-laced potion routine. She loves to please and nothing makes her happier than when everyone else around her is completely happy.
When Annie’s coven tasks her with guiding an orphan teenage witch through the process of getting her blossoming magical powers under control, Annie is excited for the chance to please and to prove herself. But the ramshackle cabin they’ll be housed in isn’t quite the staycation of Annie’s dreams. And she and Maeve, the headstrong teen, couldn’t be more different.
Just when they’re starting to understand each other, the owner of the cabin unexpectedly returns. This quietly gruff and handsome warlock is not pleased to find that the coven volunteered his house to a high-maintenance witch and her angsty teen companion.
As this seemingly unlikely trio develop a loyalty and fondness for one another, Annie slowly learns that her people-pleasing may have led her down an impossible, lonely path. If everything about her is so right—why does it all feel so wrong?
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The Princess and the P.I. by Nikki Payne
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You’d like some thrills and suspense in the best romance books of September 2025. An online detective and a cynical PI team up to clear her name and take out a ruthless tech company.
Publisher’s synopsis: Fiona Addai is ready to set her plan in motion. To honor the anniversary of her brother’s death, she’s going to steal back his brilliant invention from the ruthless corporation that stole and claimed it as their own. As a famed Reddit detective known as @Princess_PI, Fiona has used her online connections and sleuthing skills to time every step down to the minute. But with one disastrous misstep, instead of getting justice, Fiona finds herself accused of murder.
Maurice Bennett is no stranger to insomnia. These days, he’s not losing sleep over the cases he’s solving—but running from the one he couldn’t. Instead, he’s been settling for small-time scandals that don’t stir up the guilt he’s buried. But when he spots Fiona Addai at the center of a murder investigation, something clicks. And for the first time in a long while, Maurice feels that old spark of intrigue.
However, Fiona is not the helpless damsel she appears to be. Sure, she needs Maurice’s help to clear her name, but she’s got conditions of her own: she wants a crash course in real-world detective work. Maurice isn’t exactly thrilled. With every late-night stakeout and tension-filled interrogation, their partnership, rife with tension and unexpected chemistry, unravels a dangerous web of corporate crime and familial secrets. To bring the real killer to light, they’ll need to trust each other and that might be the most dangerous gamble of all.
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Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You have big feelings about Hollywood aging standards and paranormal abilities. An author with a ghostly gift clashes with the leading man of her book’s adaptation.
Publisher’s synopsis: Rosemary Shaw’s ability to see the dead has never scared her. In fact, it’s secretly inspired most of her horror novels. Now at twenty-nine, Rosemary is an acclaimed author, and her most successful book is about to be a blockbuster movie. The film set is in a beautiful manor house in the English countryside. So it’s no surprise there are ghosts hanging around. But ghosts are something Rosemary can handle. She’s not so sure how to deal with her infuriatingly handsome leading man, who is all wrong for the role.
Ellis Finch is a longtime Hollywood heartthrob with a secret of his own. He’s tired of playing the action movie hero and would much rather be gardening with his sweet dog, Fig. Frankly, he’s getting too old to maintain the industry’s standards of what a man should look like. Starring in a historical horror movie will be perfect for his new image, until he finds out that the author tried to get him kicked off the project. But Ellis won’t go down without a fight.
Amidst filming the movie and the chemistry-filled feuding between Rosemary and Ellis, Hallowvale manor comes alive, literally. Trying to balance the mayhem of her writing deadlines, an adorable ghostly dog, and a pair of Regency-era women who are definitely nothing more than friends, Rosemary is at risk of telling Ellis her secret, or worse—falling for him.
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The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You’re down for a meta-Austen story in the best romance books of September 2025. The feuding stars of an Austen adaptation get trapped in the real Regency era.
Publisher’s synopsis: Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way―well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.
A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry―and Tess’s career depends on it.
Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.
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Honey and Heat by Aurora Palit
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You’d like some corporate rivalry shenanigans in the best romance books of September 2025. A woman is shocked when her father doesn’t name her his successor — and names her one-night-stand instead.
Publisher’s synopsis: Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she wants: to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.
Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.
Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, and his future is once again on track. And the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.
Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.
When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
Release date: Sept. 16
Read it if: You love spooky old houses and curses keeping lovers apart. A struggling witch teams up with his childhood neighbor to break a curse or two.
Publisher’s synopsis: Azrael Ashmedai Hart must be cursed. He’s a witch twice named for the devil. He’s making his way back to his family manor in Hallowcross after a failed screenwriting career. He adopted a cat he’s allergic to. And if all of that is not enough, he’s also forced to come face-to-face with his childhood best friend and former crush.
Victoria Starnberger, the bubbly girl-next-door Az lost touch with after an awkward incident in college, has just been disowned by her parents for quitting business school and buying Azrael’s late parents’ Hopelessly Teavoted tea shop against their wishes. Being cut off financially is one thing. But, now Vickie also owes a lesser devil for the souls her parents promised him in exchange for her gift to summon the dead by touching something they treasured in life, destroying the object in the process.
When spirits all over town, including Az’s parents, keeping warning her about a sinister threat, Vickie and Az are forced to combine their powers to save the Hallowcross. But to do so, they must prevent her magic from immolating him after Vickie’s devil places a curse on them to keep them from touching until she repays her debt. As they race against the clock to find clever ways around their curse, they find it increasingly harder to deny that they’ve been hopelessly devoted to each other all along.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Release date: Sept. 23
Read it if: You’re already ready for holiday cheer in the best romance books of September 2025. A newly-single woman finds new possibilities when she rejoins her eccentric family over the holidays.
Publisher’s synopsis: Fred Hallow-Hart isn’t in love with the idea of returning home to Pine Bluff. But after a bad breakup and a subsequent eviction, she’s fresh out of options. God knows she loves her mum and her eccentric aunts—and who could forget their Christmas Cracker family business?—but she’s always felt a little out of place in her small town.
Quickly roped in by her mother to help with the cracker shop, Fred decides throwing herself into work might actually be what’s best for her. Until she reconnects with her old best friend Ryan, who is suddenly making her heart flutter in ways she’s never known; and unexpectedly finds a spark with Warren, a charming journalist covering the Pine Bluff Christmas Market for the Daily News.
But as these connections slowly lead Fred back to her heart, she’s forced to confront some harsh truths, which, if she doesn’t find a way through, might just ruin the holidays for those dearest to her. Can Fred let go of the past enough to recognize real love? And when she does, how far will she go to protect it?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
Release date: Sept. 23
Read it if: You’re here for a sapphic Regency romance with a lightly spooky twist. Rival writers find themselves trapped together in a creepy (possibly haunted) manor.
Publisher’s synopsis: Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, she’s also acquired an enemy: the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgiana’s own manuscripts. What’s a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course.
But unmasking doesn’t go according to plan―because Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butler’s daughter and object of Georgiana’s very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.
Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat can’t seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rival―including at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real danger: the scorching passion that’s been haunting their rivalry all along.
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To Heist and to Hold by Christina Britton
Release date: Sept. 30
Read it if: You want your love for superheroes to show up in the best romance books of September 2025. A sword-wielding vigilante widow attempts to seduce a club owner for a mission.
Publisher’s synopsis: Heloise Marlowe has always forged her own path. As a former blacksmith and fencing instructor, she wasn’t just going to sit around knitting after her husband died. The Wimpole Street Widows Society, a secret group dedicated to balancing the scales of justice, was a much better fit for her skills. Her newest mission: seduce the owner of the club Dionysus and gain access to the den’s inner workings. She didn’t mind putting her body on the line, but she wasn’t prepared to gamble her heart.
Ethan Sinclaire has worked hard to clean up his club after the betrayal of his brother. But now, rumors are swirling that his club is just as crooked as before. He won’t let anyone destroy what he’s built, so when Heloise starts poking around, he decides to go all in, in hopes that she’ll show her hand. Enjoying her company is the easy part. Keeping himself from falling—that’s a whole different card game.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy
Release date: Sept. 30
Read it if: Persuasion is your favorite Austen novel. A young woman discovers her former fiancé is now a wealthy earl — and doesn’t think kindly of her.
Publisher’s synopsis: American Naila Darwish always regretted calling off her engagement to the man she loved because he wasn’t successful enough for her family. Eight years later, she travels to England for her sister’s wedding and gets the shock of her life when she runs into Basil again. Overjoyed, she wonders if the fates have given her a second chance at love.
But Basil Trevelyn is not the same carefree young man Naila rejected all those years ago. Having unexpectedly inherited a noble title, he is now the Earl of Hawksworth, one of England’s most sought-after bachelors. Still bitter after Naila’s heart-wrenching rejection all those years ago, Hawk is cold and distant, suspecting Naila is after his money and position.
When the two lost lovers are repeatedly thrown together, they discover that the chemistry between them burns brighter than ever and that some feelings are too strong to deny. Will they allow pride and lingering resentment to keep them from seizing their last chance at happiness?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Nanny’s Handbook for Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes by Amy Rose Bennett
Release date: Sept. 30
Read it if: You’d like a magical The Sound of Music setup among the best romance books of September 2025. A chaotic magical governess takes a job with a peculiar duke, and sparks fly.
Publisher’s synopsis: Emmeline Chase, 25-year-old widow and new alumna, may be more high-spirited than the Academy would like. Few graduates, however, could turn a mismanaged teleportation onto a duke’s rooftop into an offer of employment. But Emmeline’s circumstances, along with her desperation to support her bankrupt, incarcerated father, have made her dauntless. Which seems the primary qualification to work for expert horologist Xavier Mason, Duke of St. Lawrence, and manage his three rambunctious wards. Yet Emmeline soon discovers that the nobleman’s heart-melting voice and captivating mind present an entirely different sort of trouble. She cannot risk losing her license by fraternizing with her employer . . .
Xavier’s wards have sent two nannies packing in a month thanks to frogs, firecrackers, and general mayhem. In addition, Xavier’s professional reputation is on the line. He’s already considered odd, with his talking raven companion and his fascination with timekeeping instead of pleasure-chasing with his peers. Charming, vivacious Emmeline seems intrigued with his quirks—but Xavier must have absolute peace to design London’s “King of Clocks” for Westminster Palace before the competition closes. Emmeline can no doubt restore order. As long as he doesn’t fall under her spell . . .
Yet, with a possible saboteur in their midst, and the attraction flaring between them threatening to become a deliciously disastrous distraction, a touch of magic may be required . . .
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